Tomorrow
by TashaLaw
Summary: From the living room to the bedroom. Post Always. 3rd and last chapter.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Tomorrow

**Summary**: From the living room to the bedroom. Post Always.

**Rating**: M

**Spoilers**: You guessed it, spoilers for Always.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Castle, 'cause if I did, obviously they would be making out ALL THE TIME.

**A/N**: Yes, this is yet another end to post-Always story (with sex). I started it right after the episode while basically watching the last two minutes on a repeating loop. Planning on it being a two part story with the second chapter from Castle's perspective. Incorporated dialogue from the episode.

Reviews are always appreciated.

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He hadn't answered his phone when she called, although she was not surprised. She was already in the elevator of his building, hoping to talk to him before she showed up at his front door. She did not know if he was screening his calls or simply out, but she had to try. She knocked on the door, glad to know already that no one else would be at the loft tonight.

Surprisingly, the door opened, and there he was standing there.

Castle.

His face fell as he set eyes on her, and Kate's heart plummeted into her stomach. "Beckett, what do you want?"

She was no longer Kate? So they were back to Beckett? She supposed she deserved that.

Soaked from the rain, she should have been shivering in his doorway, but she was warmed by the sight of him. She was having trouble with her voice but managed to get out the most basic answer to his fundamental question.

"You."

She moved towards him, bringing up her hands to capture his face. He took two steps back, as though to retreat from the assault, but she managed to catch his lips with hers. His fingertips brushed her arms then flailed to the side, undecided, and she pulled back just enough to rest her forehead on his and grip his shoulders to steady herself.

"I'm so sorry, Castle," Kate whispered. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

_Sorry for hurting you, for lying about what I remembered. Sorry for what I said at my apartment; I was such a fool. Sorry for waiting so long to do this._

She moved to kiss him again, but had barely touched him when he grabbed her and pushed her firmly back. Tears were streaming down her face. Tears of joy? Tears of apology? She wasn't even sure.

His expression betraying confusion, uncertainty, and hope? – Castle asked one question, "What happened?"

"He got away, and I didn't care," she said matter-of-factly. "I almost died, and all I could think about was you."

She shook her head, wondering how she could have ever turned this man away. This beautiful, soulful, loving man who had been there for her for four years. He was everything in the world she wanted. He was _all_ she wanted any more. And after so much time, so many cases, so much laughter and so much pain, she had to tell him.

"I just want you," Kate confessed.

She wanted to make love to him, to wake up in his bed in the morning, to bring him coffee and eat his pancakes. She wanted everything with him. But at that moment, she just wanted to kiss him again.

Leaning forward, she tried again to kiss him, to capture his mouth with her lips. He pulled away slightly, and she was left feeling desperate and needy. But she did not care. She _was_ desperate and needy. She desperately needed him.

As lightening crashed in the background, she touched her fingers to his face, hoping to give him some idea how much she wanted him.

A second later, her back made contact with the door, pushing it shut and providing them with both privacy and a conveniently flat surface to rest against. Kate could barely keep herself on her feet after such a physically and emotionally draining day. But none of that mattered because Castle was kissing her.

Finally, _he_ was kissing _her_.

His lips were on her mouth, then at her neck and shoulder. His arms were wrapped around her, his hands on her face, on her body. It was a lover's embrace as they moved against each other, tasting, touching, unable to get enough. Kate's knees started to buckle, but Castle kept her upright, gave her support and stability as she swam in the sensations caused by the feel of him.

Then he was kissing her chest, his hands suddenly hesitant as he reached to unbutton her blouse. But he only undid one button, just enough to see the small puckered scar between her breasts. The scar she had agonized over in her own mirror, the one she wished she would never have to show him. The one he clearly had wanted to see. And suddenly, Kate did not care any more if he did see it. It was a part of her now, just as he was. One hand came up, and his thumb brushed against the scar as he cupped her through the bra and shirt.

As his hands caressed her breasts, his mouth sought out hers, desperate and seeking reassurance. And suddenly Kate realized, this moment was a year overdue. They should have done this when she got out of the hospital. She should have given him this reassurance then, rather than months of the cold shoulder.

It was a second chance, or rather another chance – she had been given so many second chances. Her _last_ chance and she had no intention of wasting it.

Pulling back from him slightly, Kate grinned at him with unabashed love. Then her fingers found his, entwining themselves. She gave him a look she knew he would understand and led him towards his bedroom.

He followed her, but he looked at her as though she might vanish before his eyes. To assure him she was real, she stopped in the hall and pushed him against the wall before kissing him again. Her blouse was already partially unbuttoned, so she pulled his hands to it as an invitation to finish removing the garment. He immediately complied, and within seconds she was left standing before him in her black lace bra.

They kissed again, and Kate took the opportunity to divest him of his shirt. However, her hands shook as they fumbled for the buttons, the rain having soaked her through and leaving her cold and trembling. But she pressed on, even considered ripping the shirt from his body, but could not bring herself to do it. Castle valued his clothes, and she had already ruined enough.

By the time she got the shirt off, his mouth was on her again and his hands were seeking out the expanse of her skin left bare. He was wearing an undershirt and her fingers crept up the back of it as she tried to pull it over his head. But Castle had other ideas as he swept her around, putting her back to the wall again as he plundered her exposed skin with his mouth and tongue, warming her and infusing her with his heat.

"Castle," she breathed his name.

"God, I love you," he responded, bringing his lips to hers again.

"Bedroom," she whispered back. "I want you."

Somehow, they got to his bedroom, although half way there she would have been content with the couch or his office desk or even the floor. She would have settled for up against the wall except she could barely support herself, and Castle seemed too shell-shocked by the whole turn of events to support them both.

Pulling his under shirt off, she discovered his well muscled chest and arms. How had they never done this before? They both shimmied out of their pants, and soon they were on the bed in nothing but their underwear, kissing and touching, tasting and discovering. He held her in his arms as he reached behind her to undo the clasp on her bra. Removing it with ease, he replaced the lacy material with his mouth, and she gasped and arched against him. As he sucked and teased, her fingers wound in his hair and she could feel him against her, hard and insistent.

"I want you," Kate said again, her voice barely audible at first. She tried again. "Castle, please," she begged.

He pulled himself up, bringing his face so close to hers that their noses almost touched. "What do you want, Kate?" he asked, his question a much gentler, sexier version of what he'd asked her when he opened his front door.

"You. I want you."

And then his boxers were gone, followed by her panties, and he was hot and solid inside her. The feeling blinded her such that her vision was filled only with him. Her fingers gripped his back desperately as he moved, slowly at first, letting her get used to the feel of him.

It had been so long for her – no one in a year. No one but her own hand and fantasies about a partner she wanted desperately but could not bear to ruin things with by starting a relationship too soon. A man she needed but could not go to broken and afraid.

Was this too soon?

Didn't matter – they were together now, and she would just have to do her best not to screw it up. She almost had, but this was a second chance, the last of the second chances.

"Is this okay?" Castle asked, still moving with exquisite slowness, as though he was worried about hurting her. But Kate was no china doll.

"Faster," she requested, moving her hands to his back to encourage him as she pushed up to meet him.

Increasing the pace, Castle leaned down to kiss her, and she pulled his bottom lip into her mouth, teasing it with her teeth and tongue. He moved harder, more confident of what she wanted, what she needed.

"You feel amazing," he gasped in her ear, and she took the opportunity to gently suck on the skin of his neck, wanting to leave her mark on him.

She felt as though his body already knew hers, as though they had been lovers for years. Everything he did felt wonderful. Every place he touched lit her on fire. As she moved steadily closer to her end, he took each of her hands in his, intertwining their fingers as he pressed them into the mattress. She slid her legs around his waist, urging him deeper.

With an almost primal growl, she felt him driving her forward towards that edge and she knew he was close. Looking up at him above her, his face intent but also awash with enjoyment, she realized that was exactly where she belonged. His blue eyes sent her over, arching against him as she clung to his hands in desperation. He followed her, like one soul pulling the other into a waterfall of sensation. She heard him say her name, although she had no idea what she said in return. She had lost the ability to hear, to see, to even think – all she could do was _feel_ as she rode waves of ecstasy in a sea of pleasure.

Afterwards, they collapsed together in a pile of tangled limbs, and Kate made no move to disentangle herself. She had spent so much time keeping her distance from Castle – always looking but never touching – that she had no wish to be separated from him now. Instead, she laid her head on his chest and listened intently to his heartbeat as it slowly calmed down from their exertions.

"I love you," she said, tentative and soft. He had already told her, she had lost count how many times, and she wanted him to hear it from her, no matter how much the idea terrified her.

"I love you, too," Castle answered. He waited for her to say more, perhaps to explain in more detail what had happened, why she had changed her mind. When she remained silent, he ventured, "We should talk."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2

**Rating**: Still M

**A/N**: Here's the second chapter making this story complete.

So I've finally seen the brighter version of the kissing scene from Always and not only is it super HOT, I was able to actually see Castle touching the scar, which I couldn't really see in the dark version on my TV or on the computer. If you haven't seen it, go forth. Even better in slow motion...

As always, I love getting reviews.

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Castle did not sleep at all that night. As much as he would have enjoyed waking up next to Kate (or under her, as the case happened to be), he could not shut his eyes. The feel of her body half atop him, her steady breaths gently stirring the hair on his chest, the warmth of her hand as it rested just above his heart... how could he sleep? How could he risk giving in to fatigue, only to wake and find that it had all been a dream?

Instead, he spent the time staring at her in the dim light of his bedroom. She was so incredibly beautiful, it was an activity he had not yet gotten bored with. Her body was gentle curves connected with flat lines and sharp edges. Her skin was soft and pale in the city lights streaming through the windows, the only blemishes being the bruises she had likely gotten the day previous. He had not asked about them the night before, although perhaps he should have.

The night before...

The night before had been amazing. Fantastic. Earth shattering. Ground breaking. Out of this world. Castle still could not come up with an adjective or a cliched phrase to do it justice.

Somehow, the moment he had finally given up on Kate ever seeing him as more than a partner, ever getting past her mother's murder, and ever really admitting to him the feelings she had... at that moment he had given up on her, she had called him. But true to his word, refused to answer. He was done. He would not let her drag him in again like she had after the book signing, that day on the swings. He was done, and he turned off the phone.

Then came the knock on his door, and the exchange that had changed everything.

When she said, "You," his heart stopped. The sound of his blood rushing in his ears had almost drowned out her repeated apologies.

Her explanation to his question of what had happened was brief but telling. She'd gone after the guy and he'd gotten away. But she didn't care. She'd almost died - fear gripped him at those words - and all she could think about was him. She wanted him.

God, she wanted him. Kate wanted him. She kissed him with more passion than he had ever hoped for or dreamed might be possible. She kissed him with abandon, as though she were a drowning woman and he was her lifeline. She kissed him like she wanted him - only him - in every possible way she could have him.

She hadn't been shy or coy or in any way reserved about her want, her need of him. Instead, she'd taken from him and given back in equal measure, not even resisting when he had unbuttoned her blouse to look at her scar.

That scar - it had been eating at Castle all year. He knew it was there, knew it sometimes ached or pulled when she moved. But he had never seen it. And somehow, he just needed to see it, to touch it. Not only was it a reminder of her mortality, but it was also the reminder that she was alive, she had survived the most horrible day of their lives and made it through to the other side. Her body had healed, and finally, after apparently going to a therapist he knew nothing about for a year, the rest of her had healed as well.

They had not done a lot of talking the night before. That was something he wanted to remedy once she woke up. In the mean time, he wanted Kate to sleep soundly. Perhaps he would be able to order his own feelings while he waited.

She had come back to him. She said that she wanted him, that she loved him. It was too much to fathom after having accepted that neither of those things would likely ever happen.

Kate had also said she'd almost died and the man who tried to kill her had gotten away. Those details concerned him. He wondered if the deal Smith had struck was still viable, or if her investigation had put her back at risk. If the deal was still in place, he could only hope that her words the night before meant she was willing to give it up, that being with him and staying alive were things worth putting the investigation away.

Sighing softly, Kate shifted against him in her sleep. The feel of her body curled into his - warm and soft and so very Kate, her soft hair fanned out around her, her hand on his chest - it was almost too much, and he felt himself responding to her. Castle tried to clamp down on his desire, but there was something about her that always managed to reduce him to the state of a teenager with his first crush.

Make that a teenager with a naked woman in his bed. A gorgeous naked woman. A gorgeous naked woman who smelled like sex and cherries, who had said she loved him just hours before -

So much for getting himself under control.

He felt Kate began to stir, her breathing becoming less regular as she climbed out of her sleep state.

"Why aren't you asleep, Castle?" she mumbled softly, eyes still closed.

"Not tired," he lied.

She hummed against his skin. "Didn't wear you out properly?"

Snorting in response, he answered, "Oh, you wore me out plenty."

"Should get some sleep," Kate admonished in her barely-awake tone. "Try again in the morning."

"Try again?"

"Wear you out."

This time he laughed. "I'm looking forward to that."

"Mmm..." she hummed again. "I think you woke me up for sex."

"Are you complaining?" he asked.

"No," Kate whispered back. She sighed again, and then he felt her shift just slightly. Suddenly, her mouth was kissing his chest, small butterfly kisses as she worked her way up to his neck, around the edge of his jaw line and to his cheek. But rather than stop at his mouth, she circled the kisses up along his hairline then back down his nose until she finally made contact with his lips. The teasing lasted just a little too long, and Castle put his hands on either side of her neck to ensure she stayed in one place as he kissed her back, their tongues dueling for control.

With Kate leaning over him, her hair had fallen forward to frame their faces and tickle his shoulders. The feeling was both exhilarating and maddening, so he shifted his hands up to run them through her dark brown locks, letting the touch of silk slip through his fingers.

Before he noticed what she was doing, Kate had moved to straddle his lap. She pulled away from their kiss and he could see desire burning in her eyes. "Is this what you want, Castle?" she asked, and he could feel her pressing up against him.

His voice died in his throat at the sight of her because she was sitting on top of him, giving him a view of her body while she bit her lip and tucked a curtain of hair behind one ear. Unable to speak, Castle simply nodded - enthusiastically.

She balanced herself on his shoulders as she situated their bodies, then everything exploded into sensation as she lowered herself and surrounded him. He gasped at the feel of her, and she bent over to silence him with another kiss, one hand on the pillow beside his head supporting her weight while the other gently gripped and caressed his neck. When she began to move, Castle reached down to grip her waist, letting his thumbs slide across her flat belly.

Moving slowly at first, in small deliberate circles, Kate pushed herself up and further back to increase the depth of their connection. As she moved, Castle's desire grew, and the sight of her above him was quite possibly the sexiest image he had ever seen. He burned it into his mind, then reached up to touch her again.

When she began increasing the pace, he pushed his body up to meet her. She leaned forward then, gripping the pillow on both sides of his head for leverage as she moved her lower body in a faster rhythm.

Gazing up at her again, Castle noticed that she had her eyes closed tightly, either in concentration or in enjoyment of the shared pleasure their bodies were creating. She looked amazing, felt spectacular. She was like a goddess.

She climaxed first, gripping him tightly in delicious spasms as she rode it out to its conclusion. Then she continued her movement, faster and more furious as she pulled him to his orgasm. It hit him somewhat unexpectedly as Kate was leaning across his body, her lips at his ear whispering his name and describing in intimate detail what exactly he was doing to her. He grabbed her back in a desperate grip, and he pulsed into her with abandon, the need so great it proved almost overwhelming.

Once he was finished, she grinned at him and withdrew herself only to collapse back down, fully on top of him like a human blanket, her head sharing the same pillow. They stayed like that for moments as each let their racing heart slow down and their breathing return to normal. Castle congratulated himself on not having fallen asleep earlier - or he would have missed this particular experience - but suddenly felt the pull of fatigue after so much exertion.

Kate apparently felt the opposite.

"I guess I'm awake now," she noted, pushing herself up so that she could look him in the eye.

"That's funny because now I'm getting sleepy," he answered, adding a yawn.

"Oh, no you don't. You woke me up for morning sex, and now you have to stay up and talk to me."

He smiled at her, like a little kid who had been informed not only could he have the cookie he'd just stolen, but that he could take the entire jar. "Was that a complaint?"

She grinned back at him. "No. Not a complaint at all."

"What do you want to talk about?"

She broke eye contact for a second at she bit her lip in contemplation. Then she asked, "Tell me about the graduation. How was Alexis' speech?"

He ignored the weirdness of talking about his daughter with a naked, sex-sated Kate. However, he did shift so that they lay side by side and he could more easily see her eyes.

"It was... perfect. She did an excellent job. I had a hard time not crying like a baby."

Kate's expression had turned from wistful to contemplative. "I wish I could have heard it," she said.

"Me too." When she said nothing else for a while, Castle ventured, "Kate, what happened yesterday? I mean..."

He paused. What did he mean? What happened with the shooter? How did she almost die? What prompted her to knock on his door and make all his dreams come true?"

"Why were you so wet?" he finally settled on, thinking of her damp hair the night before.

Kate blushed a bright pink but gave him an saucy look. "I would have thought that was obvious, Castle. After four years of foreplay..."

He stared for a moment before her meaning reached him, and then he quickly amended, "I meant... That's not what I meant. I meant... when you got to the loft. Your hair was wet, like you'd been in the rain. I didn't mean..."

"It's okay, Castle," she told him, although she followed her words with a wink. "I was walking in the rain."

Puzzled by her response, he noted, "You can get sick like that, catch a chill..."

"I think you warmed me up," Kate returned.

"You said... you said you almost died." He almost choked on the words as the fear blossumed anew in his chest. He waited for her to elaborate, his eyes focused on hers as she simply looked down at the bed. Just when he was ready to move on, to ignore her silence and change the subject with a joke or some light-hearted comment, she spoke.

"We got a lead. Espo and I followed the guy to a hotel. It was so stupid. I insisted we go alone. We found the files he took and Montgomery's wedding album. But he got the jump on us, knocked out Esposito. But I followed him, up to the roof. I tried to take him down, but he was too strong. Too well trained. I tried anyway, and he knocked me off the roof."

"He what?"

Castle was half-way off the bed before he realized he had no idea what he was doing or where he was going. Now the bruises made sense. If this mystery shooter had beat up Kate, had knocked her off a roof-

"I'm okay, Castle," she said, sitting up to face him. "I didn't fall. I managed to hold on..."

She stopped, and he forced himself into a state of patience. Why had he walked out? How could he have abandoned her? He knew she would run into this investigation full force, drawn like a moth to a flame. He should have been there, he should have found a way to stop her, like he did at that hanger when Montgomery ordered him to get her out of there.

"I held on, Castle, until I heard your voice. At least, I thought it was your voice. It was Ryan. He didn't agree with us going alone, so he told Gates and they brought back-up. Ryan got to me before I fell."

He wasn't sure if he was shaking or if that was just the effect her story had on him. "You heard my voice?" he asked.

"It was Ryan. But I thought it was you. I thought it was you, and you weren't going to make it to me in time. All I could think about was that I was going to fall and you were going to get there just in time to see it but not stop it." She shook her head slightly and blinked back tears. "After everything we'd been through, I thought you were going to have to watch me fall to my death. And I couldn't take it.

"My fingers slipped, but Ryan caught me and pulled me up. Castle... all I could think about was you. Gates was there - she was so mad, she suspended me and Esposito both. But I didn't care. None of it mattered anymore. All that really mattered was you. So I resigned."

First dangling off the side of a building, then she resigned? What had he missed yesterday?

"You resigned?" he sputtered.

"I'm done with it, Castle. I'm done with all of it. My mother's murder, everyone else's murders, Gates, the NYPD, all of it."

"Kate," he began, but stopped, not knowing what else to say.

"I just want to be with you," she reiterated.

To drive the point home, she leaned forward and kissed him. He worried that it would be desperate, an indication that her being with him was just another way of running from what had happened to her. But it wasn't desperate; it was deliberate. She kissed him with exquisite deliberateness, exploring his mouth slowly and methodically, smiling into him as he kissed her back. She wasn't running, or if she was, he was the destination, not the hiding place.

"When does Alexis get home?" she asked as they broke apart.

"Not for a few hours."

"Good." Sliding out of bed, she nodded towards the bathroom. "I'm going to take a quick shower. After that, you can make me pancakes."

"You know, it would save time if we showered together," Castle suggested, rising from the bed to follow her.

"I don't know, Castle," she teased, "You might get sidetracked."

"Doesn't matter," he said, sounding a bit lost as he imagined how she would look with water cascading over her. "Bottomless hot water heater."

She was grinning at him, and her expression combined with her casual nudity almost did him in. He never would have thought just days earlier that they would have arrived at this point, that Kate Beckett would be showering in his bathroom and demanding pancakes.

He must have been staring, because Kate smirked at him and said, "Why are you staring at me, Castle?"

"Because you are beautiful," he answered truthfully, but added, "And you were right."

"Right about what?"

"After our first case. You shot me down, and I said 'It would have been great.' You said I had no idea. You were right. I really had no idea."

Reaching out, Kate took his hand in hers as she led him towards the bathroom. "Castle, You ain't seen nothin' yet."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: Okay, I had planned this as a two parter, but to reward the wonderful readers who have reviewed and requested more, I'm posting one more scene.

Of course, thanks for all the reviews.

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Her bruises were more apparent in the brighter light of the bathroom, the dark purple, blue, and blackish hues contrasting sharply against her pale skin. The markings even circled her delicate neck, and Castle swallowed dryly at the sight. Had those been there the night before? Or had they developed in the mean time? She hadn't told him much about the fight with the shooter, but her brevity had clearly left more than just a little out.

Seeing his concern, Kate looked over her shoulder in the bathroom mirror and noticed what had captivated his attention. She turned back to him and gave him a reassuring smile, although he was too immersed in examining at the bruises as he moved his hand across her neck in a feather-light touch. Kate took his hand and pressed it solidly against her skin. "I'm okay, Castle. Doesn't even hurt."

He frowned at the statement knowing it was a lie, but he did not contradict her. Instead, he stepped forward and very gently placed his lips to the spots where the bruises showed, barely skimming the skin. He did not stop until he had put kisses to every single hurt, scratch and abrasion, turning her around in front of the mirror as he moved over the planes of her body. When he arrived at the long, jagged scar on her side, he halted and stared at it in confusion.

"From the bullet," Kate explained quietly, seeing his rapt gaze. "That's where they..."

But he was already nodding, and she let the explanation die. No reason to bring up old wounds when they were busy healing the new ones.

"I didn't know," was all he said in response.

And there was no reason why he should know about that scar. Castle knew about the scar on her chest, the obvious one where the bullet had entered her body. But she had healed from the injury in seclusion, away from everyone but her father. No one besides Jim Beckett and medical professionals had seen the scar on her side.

"I wish I could have been there for you," Castle continued sadly.

The admission cut through her like a knife, the edge of guilt slicing as deeply as any blade. "I'm sorry," she said automatically.

"You don't have to-"

But she shook her head. "No, I do. I'm so sorry, Castle-"

"Shh," he interrupted her, placing his entire hand over her mouth. "No apologies today. Today is not about apologies. Today is about us."

Kate smiled against his hand and he dropped it. "Us," she repeated, tasting the flavor of the word as it fell from her tongue.

"Us," he said again, moving to invade her personal space, putting just inches between them as he leaned down to kiss her.

"Mmm..." Kate hummed against him as they broke apart a moment later. "Maybe we should explore that shower of yours?"

Castle's walk-in shower was enormous. Two of the tiled walls sported showerheads with a third suspended from above which dropped water in a simulation of rain. Castle watched as Kate stepped inside and began adjusting the dials. He laughed at her gasp as jets of cold water hit her. Then, as the water turned warmer, he watched her close her eyes and dip her head under the water. Rivers and streams ran down her body and Castle just stared, captivated by the sight.

A moment later he heard, "You're staring again, Castle. Why don't you join me? The water's warmed up now."

Not needing to be asked twice, he quickly followed her into the shower, shutting the glass door behind him. With her hair slicked back from the water, Kate looked much like she had the night before, wet and wanting. Unable to resist her, Castle leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. He had a feeling he would never get tired of kissing her, never get tired of the feel of her body beneath his hands. He really just loved touching her – everywhere. He couldn't get enough of her.

Letting his wet, slick hand slide the length of her, Castle pressed himself against her body, pushing her up against the tile wall of the shower. He quickly realized that while they would have plenty of hot water, logistics could be a problem, what with the slippery tiles and lack of surfaces to use for leverage.

How had he never anticipated this issue before? He decided to call a contractor sometime over the summer and rectify the situation. In the mean time, he supposed that they would just have to figure out a temporary solution.

Running his hands over her body as his tongue explored her mouth, Castle considered all the fantasies his mind had conjured since first meeting this amazing, extraordinary, beautiful, kick-ass woman. None of the wild scenarios his imagination had created could hold a candle to actually holding her in his arms. Suddenly he just wanted to give her something, show her in some way how much he loved her and loved being with her.

So with dexterous fingers, he extended his reach lower on her body, finding the spot even hotter than the water temperature of the shower. She burned as though on fire, her muscles tense at the feel of him. When Kate moaned into his mouth, he knew he had found the exact area he was seeking and increased the pressure.

Kate wrapped her arms around his neck as the rest of her body went limp at his touch. She hummed anxiously against his neck, and the feel of _her_ combined with the warm water washing over them proved tantalizing.

Then she said his name, "Castle," reinforcing the notion that this was _not_ a dream, that she was real, that all of this was real and fluid and-

"Castle, _please_."

Her plea broke him. He could deny her nothing.

Balancing her back against a tiled wall, he positioned them both. With an expert hand, he stroked her, gentle at first, and then hard because he remembered how it had been the first time. One finger, then two, adding a slight curl of the digits to make her gasp…

The sound Kate made was unintelligible but definitely good. He wanted to hear that sound from her again. And again. And again. Possibly a couple of times a day, if he could get away with it.

His rhythm had her panting in no time, the sound of her breath almost drowned out by the shower. He could feel her grip on his shoulders and the sensation of fingernails digging into his skin was not lost on him. She was close. _Very_ close.

By the time she was tensing and spasming against him, her arms clutching his neck as her body pulled his against hers, she was crying into his shoulder. She let out powerful sobs and even through the water he could discern her tears.

Panic hit him like a gunshot, bringing back reality in a flash as his every sense honed in on her. Had he hurt her? God, what had he done to make her cry so hard?

Castle held her gently against him, supporting her weight as he quickly turned off the shower heads. He needed to see her, to focus on only her without distractions or anything in the background.

"Kate?" he said, trying to push her back slightly so he could see her face, but she steadfastly clung to his neck. "Kate, please…"

Her sobbing was clearer now without the sound of the water hitting the tiles, even though she was trying to hide it. He could feel her tears hot against his skin, burning like unspoken regrets. Uncertain what to do, he just let her cry against him as he fought the fear and the anguish doing so inflicted on him.

Finally, several moments later, Castle managed to pull her away from him, moving slowly and handling her gently. Her eyes were puffy from crying and would not meet his. Instead, Kate looked steadfastly down, her gaze falling somewhere around his solar plexus. She was also trembling.

"Did I hurt you?" he demanded softly, examining her body for… he did not know what. She had so many bruises, he wondered what had ever possessed him to touch her so intimately. He could have caused her pain in a hundred different ways.

But Kate was already shaking her head – her features no longer betraying pain but rather guilt and embarrassment. To highlight the denial, she said firmly, "No, Castle. You didn't hurt me at all."

Examining her tear stained cheeks and red eyes, and he could only characterize her words as a lie.

"I'm sorry, Kate-" he began, but the apology bought him her full attention.

An echo of his earlier gesture, she placed one hand over his mouth. The motion had broken her from her emotional reaction and she focused her eyes on his.

"No apologizes today," she said. "Just us."

"But I hurt you," he mumbled through her fingers, and she must have seen the torment in his eyes. She quickly replaced her hand with her mouth, silencing his lips with her own.

A moment later, as she pulled away, she told him firmly, "You didn't hurt me, Castle."

Dumbfounded, he pursued, "I didn't? But you…"

"That was… I don't know what that was." Her cheeks were pink with mortification, but she did not let that stop her. "It was just so powerful, Castle. I've never… I've never had that sort of reaction. It wasn't just an orgasm. It was… amazing."

"Amazing?" Castle repeated in disbelief. Was she being serious? He had somehow made her cry, and she was trying to characterize it as 'amazing'?

"I don't know how else to describe it. It was just… overwhelming. I couldn't hold it all in."

She was not lying, he could tell. Castle could usually tell when Kate was lying and her current statement betrayed nothing but truth. He wanted to believe her, so badly. He did not want to think of their first night together tinged with any kind of pain or discomfort on her part.

Speaking of discomfort… he noticed her shivering in the now cold and wet shower as he regarded her with careful scrutiny. Turning the water off apparently had the effect of removing all the heat from the room. Without thinking, he pulled her out of the shower and wrapped her in a large terry cloth towel. He grabbed one for himself, pulling it around his waist as she stood waiting for him, a small smile escaping her lips.

"You're sure I didn't hurt you?" he asked again.

"Not even a little," she answered. This time, she wrapped her arms around him in comfort rather than as a romantic embrace. "I love you so much, Castle."

He understood the feeling. It had burrowed into his own chest a long time before and had never left. Instead, that feeling had blossomed, taking over not only his heart, but also his entire body and even his mind. Half of the time, he could think of little besides her.

"Let's go back to bed for a while," she suggested, and the idea immediately brought back his tiredness from earlier. So much activity in such a short time – so much feeling and overwhelming emotion… it was exhausting.

"Mmm… sounds good," he agreed and let her lead him back into his bedroom.

They dropped the damp towels unceremoniously on the floor and crawled back under the cool sheets of his bed. Kate not only let him wrap his arms around her but actively encouraged him as she pressed her body into the curve of his. They fell back asleep that way, cocooned together like two souls in one body.


End file.
